Lisa Kudrow Addresses The Lack Of Diversity In Friends

Lisa Kudrow has addressed the lack of diversity in Friends, admitting that the producers had ‘no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of colour.’

Her comments come from a recent interview she did with The Daily Beast. In it, she addressed the extreme lack of diversity that the hugely popular sitcom had, sharing that if the show were created now things would be different.

“Well, I feel like it was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college.”

“And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know.”

“They have no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of colour. I think at that time, the big problem that I was seeing was, “Where’s the apprenticeship?,” she added.

The show’s co-creator, Marta Kauffman also spoke out about the show’s downfall’s, admitting that she felt extreme ‘guilt’ over her lack of inclusivity and has since dedicated her time to making it up.

“I want to make sure from now on in every production I do that I am conscious in hiring people of colour and actively pursue young writers of colour. I want to know I will act differently from now on,” she told Los Angeles Times. 

Marta says she felt both ’embarrassed’ and ‘guilty’ with Friends and so donated $4 million to create the Marta F. Kauffman ’78 Professorship in African and African American Studies at Brandeis University.

“I wish I knew then what I knew today, I would have made very different decisions.”

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